Stunning figures undermine claims of 'sexism' in tennis

Jamie Simon |Saturday, September 15, 2018

USA Today Sports Reuters

A much more sinister plotline came from Serena's controversial penalization at Saturday's women's final against Naomi Osaka, with the 23-time Grand Slam victor accusing chair umpireCarlos Ramos of sexism.

The 20-year-old melted hearts when she broke down sobbing after thrashing her idol 6-2, 6-4 to become Japan's first Grand Slam singles champion in NY last weekend.

For Hank Aaron, the backlash Serena Williams experienced after her loss in Saturday's U.S. Open final sounded all too familiar. The warning incensed Williams, not only because coaching hand gestures have become so common in the modern era of tennis and nearly always go unpunished, but especially because it called her character into question. "I don't cheat to win, I'd rather lose", Williams told Ramos in a breathless rage.

Williams went on to allege that male players were treated more favourably than female players. To combat this, some umpires are weighing the idea of saying no every time they are asked to officiate a Williams match, unless she apologizes to Ramos. "Overall I felt really happy and know I accomplished a lot".

The Japanese player said she thought the jeers were directed at her, and began to get a bit overwhelmed by the situation, having missed Williams's argument with the umpire. "At the time, I did. think that they were booing at me".

"For me to say "thief", and for him to take a game, it made me feel like it was a sexist remark".

As a young woman who is trying to wade through the world, I have noted that forthrightness, boldness and confidence in women is not welcome. Incensed, Serena, in a classic, bold woman act that usually involves pointing a finger and looking at your subject straight in the eye, boldly told the male umpire "I didn't cheat".

Speaking on Wednesday, Osaka said she was unsure just why the crowd were booing at the time, but Williams had some kind words for the champion.

But the U.S. Tennis Association and Women's Tennis Association have come out in support of Williams, which has angered the umpire community. "And if we don't get that, there might be a potential boycott of her next match", he said. It was an infraction, whether Williams benefited from the coaching or not.

Osaka was born in Osaka, Japan, in 1997 to a Haitian-American father and a Japanese mother, before the family moved to the USA when she was three.

In winning her maiden Grand Slam, Osaka more than doubled her career prize money, adding $3.8 million to her total.

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